Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane says the party will take action against Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille at an appropriate time.
Maimane says the party has received several reports of investigations against De Lille.
Some investigations have suggested that de Lille may be guilty of gross misconduct for allegedly advising city Manager Achmat Ebrahim that he need not report to the city council an allegation of misconduct against Transport Commissioner, Melissa Whitehead.
It is also found that a forensic report presented prima facie evidence that Whitehead was involved in irregular expenditure in relation to payments of just over R4 million made to Volvo for 29 bus chassis.
Maimane says the DA will take action after due process is completed.
“As a party, we uphold the process of accountability and as things stand at the moment, an investigation is underway and we’ve got a number of reports that are on the go. We believe everybody has the right to be heard and we will take the appropriate action at the right time.”
The DA Cape Metro Executive has recommended to top party structures that de Lille be removed as the Executive Mayor of the City of Cape Town. In a lengthy statement released by the DA Metro, the executive says it has lost confidence in de Lille and believes that she can no longer provide stability, unity and functionality for the city.
It appears the walls could be closing in on de Lille. The DA Metro is calling on the party’s Provincial Executive Committee and DA Federal Executive to relinquish her of her duties. The call comes in the wake of an on-going investigation against her.
This includes an investigation into whether she covered up wrongdoing by a senior council member .The DA Metro’s Chairperson Grant Twigg cites reasons for the executive’s request.
“After the council meeting last Friday, where the DA caucus recommended to council the acceptance of the independent investigator’s report and also further outlined certain recommendations to be followed, the mayor has now publicly gone out and questioned the same report that has been adopted by council, recommended by the DA caucus and now continuously questioning the contents of thereof.”
However, de Lille is not taking it lying down.
Last week, she submitted reasons to council why she should retain her job. She says she has it on good authority that many branches within the DA are not supporting calls for her removal.
“The regional executive is meant to represent DA branches as well as members and it is only fair that they provide proof that they have in fact received mandate from the branches and also proof as to when they met with the branches to get this mandate.”
De Lille says there is a clear power struggle and a ploy to get rid of her. “This is yet another example of the flagrant disregard for processes within the DA in the rush to get rid of me as the mayor and make Minister Bonginkosi Madikizela the next executive mayor.”
The DA Metro has called on councillors not to support De Lille’s drought levy charge.
De Lille has proposed to council that some residents pay a drought levy charge to help pay for water augmentation projects.
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